Beta-carotene was discovered in 1831 by professor Heinrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Wackenroder
who was the first person to isolate the natural orange-yellow pigment in carrots
and who named the term 'carotene' however it wasn't until 1919 that Harry
Steenbock (1886-1967) suggested that there could be
a relationship between beta-carotene and vitamin A.

Beta-carotene is also known as provitamin A, because it is one of the most
important precursors of vitamin A in the human diet, that is to say its molecules
are converted into vitamin A by the body.

The breakdown of beta-carotene occurs in the walls of the small intestine. The
resulting retinol is stored in the liver. If
you eat more beta-carotene than the body needs, less of it is converted, and the rest is stored,
however too much beta-carotene can make you turn yellow.

Beta-Carotene also has antioxidant properties which may help in preventing
cancer and other diseases.

Beta-carotene can be found in a variety of foods including yellow fruit
and vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, sweetcorn, squash, swede
(rutabaga) and melons and in some green vegetables such as kale, spinach
and broccoli.